It has been a while since the last (and first) update - but as the weather has improved again there has been more chance to get down to the meadow and start working on different bits of it. We had our first intrusion a few days ago - I was driving home and had a quick glance in and noticed a dozen or so cows chomping away at the grass and plodding through the fields. I returned with my parents, determined to prove I wasn't seeing things - and yep! There they were, 12 heifers! We managed to track down the farmer and apparently they'd let themselves into the meadow, closed the gate behind them, and wired up the other entrance! I tell you, these cows are amazing. I'm surprised someone hasn't snapped them up for research purposes yet!
Anyway, I didn't manage to get a shot this time. But it was fun seeing twelve huge cows follow a man back down the meadow and into their own field - quite daunting too!
But actually, cows are big softies. And indeed you will see in the shot below (taken yesterday) that they share their field with a very shy species. Pictured here are about 7 out of 12 Herons that sit in the field with the cows. Unfortunatly this was shot at a distance, but you can still make them out. When they take off together it is an amazing sight. Those of you who live in the UK will know that Herons are very rare, majestic birds.
Everytime we're down on the land we can bargain on at least one sighting of these fantastic birds. To see a group together like this is just amazing. The wing span on them is incredible and seeing them attempt to balance on tree branches far too small for their weight is hilarious! It's also quite amazing to see them land and rest in fields that are full of huge cows - I'm waiting for the day when I manage to capture a shot of one of them balanced on a cows back!
My parents purchased a very small tractor, to attempt to give some defined paths to the land making it easier to get from one side to another. It did well - for the start, and my Dad managed to mow a good way down the first strip of land. However it soon packed in and refused to do anymore. Since then we've managed to get a four by four down into the deepest part of the meadow, which helps for getting tools to the lakes to start clearing.
I managed to be up early enough to catch a misty sunrise the other day. I was driving back from work and decided to run in and grab my camera before heading back down to the meadow. When I got there I wasn't disappointed. The mist, early morning dew and rising sun coupled together to make a fantastic setting. Unfortunatly my camera wasn't responding well to the conditions - nevertheless I did get something.
Getting back today - My parents began clearing the brambles and brush from around a natural spring lake that they discovered. It's a fairly deep lake - very clear when the sun manages to fight its way through, and the dog has just begun exploring it too. Anyway there are a couple of pictures of the progress of the day. We had a small bonfire and managed to clear alot of the banks, making it much easier to walk around the water.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. The indian summer throughout september that they promised would happen is actually here! Autumn is arriving though, slowly. There are lots of trees in and around the area, and they offer different perspectives and certainly different views over the lakes and so on. And they are still green! So I took advantage of some green sunny shots this afternoon. There's alot to see on the ground but also looking up through the trees offers a fantastic perspective and some great depth.
So - to summarise the latest happenings, we've had visiting cows, more sightings of the beautiful Kingfisher (although no camera captures yet!) and some interesting developments with tractor and small lake area. The dog is still loving exploring just as much as usual, and is starting to test the boundaries of the area just a little. She was most bemused by facing the cows though, and when they come to the gate she steers very firmly clear of them!
Everytime we're down on the land we can bargain on at least one sighting of these fantastic birds. To see a group together like this is just amazing. The wing span on them is incredible and seeing them attempt to balance on tree branches far too small for their weight is hilarious! It's also quite amazing to see them land and rest in fields that are full of huge cows - I'm waiting for the day when I manage to capture a shot of one of them balanced on a cows back!
